Top five 'gripping' Netflix mini-series that can be streamed in one sitting

Netflix has revealed which of its mini-series you can watch in just one weekend and UNILAD RANKED brings you the top five.

You may've spent most of your teen years binge-watching TV series and re-watching Friends but suddenly, thrust into your mid-twenties, you end up responsible for washing your own clothes, forced to have a job in order to feed yourself, and trying to juggle seeing friends, sleeping and work.

Never seeming to quite getting the balance right - TV can devastatingly end up falling by the wayside.

Thankfully, there are some mini-series on Netflix you can binge-watch in just one weekend - or one sitting, depending on how much of a TV lover you are.

UNILAD RANKED has listed them in order of Rotten Tomatoes score for fuss-free choosing the next day you're off work and treat yourself to not getting out of your pjs, ordering takeout, and watching a whole series.

5) The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

The mini-series was loosely based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe and created by Mike Flanagan, episodes of the gothic horror miniseries directed by both Flanagan and Michael Fimognari.

The Fall of the House of Usher stars the likes of Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House), Bruce Greenwood (Thirteen Days) and Zach Gilford (The Purge: Anarchy).

It centers around a family called - shockingly - the Ushers, told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who visits Roderick Usher when he falls ill and watches the house fall apart, both due to illness, greed and mental health decline.

There are various references to the works of Poe, IMDb notes, from lawyer Arthur Pym's name being a reference to Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and each of the Usher children being designated a specific color - Camille - white, Frederick - blue, Napoleon - yellow, Tamerlane - green and Victorine - orange - as a nod to Poe's The Masque of the Red Death.

With a Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer score of 90 and popcornmeter of 85, the mini-series was a hit with Netflix viewers, one Twitter user reviewing it: "Started the fall of the house of usher and it’s basically succession but gothic and gayer??? consider me seated."

Another commented: "Need more shows like this."

You mean you haven't watched 'The Fall of the House of Usher' yet? (Netflix)

4) Baby Reindeer (2024)

Adapted from Richard Gadd's 2019 Edinburgh Fringe one-man show, Baby Reindeer is a dark comedy created by and starring Gadd too.

Directed by Weronika Tofilska and Josephine Bornebusch, the series also sees Jessica Gunning (The Outlaws), Nava Mau (Generation) and Tom Goodman-Hill (Humans) in the main cast - Gunning going on to win Outstanding Support Actress at the Primetime Emmy Awards for her portrayal.

The mini-series loosely depicts Gadd's own experiences of being allegedly stalked by a woman, centering around aspiring comedian Donny Dunn who's working in London as a bartender in a pub.

Dunn ends up being stalked by a regular named Martha and the series hops back and forward from a moment - or more specifically figure - from Donny's past to his current lack of safety in the present and how the police handle his reporting of being stalked.

Baby Reindeer was a hit with Netflix users, obtaining a tomatometer score of 99 and popcornmeter of 80 - a median of 89.5 - with one viewer stating: "It's grippingly dark and funny and intensely watchable... showstopping performances from the two leads - jesus!"

Me ringing you up to tell you to go and watch 'Baby Reindeer' (Netflix)

3) Maid (2021)

Maid obtained an impressive Rotten Tomatoes median of 90.5 - tomatometer of 94 and popcornmeter of 87 - landing it firmly in the top three of this week's RANKED.

Inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive, the mini-series was created by Molly Smith Metzler and produced by Warner Bros. Television alongside John Wells Productions and Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment.

Maid stars The Substance's Margaret Qualley - who was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award alongside the Critics' Choice Television award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role - alongside Nick Robinson (Damsel) and Anika Noni Rose (Princess and the Frog).

Alex's mother is played by Four Weddings and a Funeral actor Andie MacDowell - Qualley's real-life mother.

It centers on young mom Alex who flees an abusive relationship with her two-year-old daughter, getting a job as a maid and trying to build a better life for her and her child, the mini-series dubbed a 'hard watch'.

A social media user wrote: "To me this was so touched and also heartbreaking show. one of the best one this year."

"Just finished #Maid on Netflix. Ten episodes binged in one day. 10 outta 10 stars, which is an actual shame because the stars for this should be endless. I cannot recommend this show enough. Watch it. It may be hard, and sometimes triggering, but the payoff is so worth it," another added.

'Maid' stars Margaret Qualley (Netflix)

2) Beef (2023)

An anthology series created by Lee Sung Jin for Netflix, the ten-episode series stars Steven Yeun (Mickey 17) and comedian Ali Wong.

It centers around two strangers who end up in a road rage incident, delving into how the one day descends into a war between the pair and their families but also ultimately highlighting some uncomfortable truths.

The titles of its episodes are actually quotes from famous writes such as Sylvia Plath and Joseph Campbell, IMDb notes.

A Facebook user wrote on LADbible's Netflix Bangers page: "Rip the heart out of a Millennial’s chest! 10/10!"

"I don't hear people talk about this one-I'm thrilled to have discovered this hidden gem, which I devoured in one sitting. The story is expertly crafted, balancing humor, cringe-worthy moments, and darkness with uplifting themes. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong deliver outstanding performances. WATCH!!" another added.

You getting settled in to watch 'Beef' (Netflix)

1) The Queen's Gambit

The mini-series which got many of us through COVID was based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis with a screenplay created by Allan Scott and Scott Frank.

It stars Anya Taylor-Joy alongside the likes of Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent), Moses Ingram (Lady in the Lake), Harry Melling (Harry Potter) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love Actually).

It centers around fictional orphan chess prodigy Elizabeth Harmon (Taylor-Joy), who rises to the top of her game, but faces many other battles outside of the chess hall along the way.

Scott reportedly rewrote the story nine times and it took him around three decades to get the show produced because nobody thought people would be that interested in chess, IMDb notes.

However, the series led to a rocketing in sales of chess sets and received widespread praise not only for its cinematography and standard of performances, but also for its accurate depiction of the game.

According to Netflix's Tudum, it's been viewed a staggering 112,800,000 times across the globe - oh and it's obtained a solid Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer score of 96 percent and popcornmeter of 94 - coming in at 95 - too.

UNILAD RANKED is a weekly series with a new article released every Friday.